Punch Taverns on collision course with senior bondholders: Punch Taverns looks to be on a collision course with senior bondholders after they rejected the latest set of restructuring proposals from the tenanted pub company. A group that represents senior Punch Taverns bondholders stated that it is unable to support Punch Taverns’ plans to restructure its debt – and called for the company to re-open negotiations. In a statement, the Association of British Insurers (ABI) Senior Noteholder Committee said: “The creditors and their advisors have carefully considered the revised proposals issued by Punch and the related legal documents now available. They are unable to support these proposals and accordingly will vote against the proposals at any meeting of the issuer companies. The creditors remain willing to work in good faith to agree a consensual restructuring for both Punch A and Punch B and continue to believe this is in the best interests of all stakeholders.” Kames Capital and Standard Life working with Angelo Gordon Europe, Oaktree Capital and Warwick Capital also oppose the restructuring plan. They complain that the present plan benefits hedge funds who are both shareholders and holders of the junior bonds to other bondholders’ detriment. The combined group has enough of a holding to block a deal. Punch has been discussing restructuring with stakeholders for 14 months and its current plan is due to go to the vote on 14 February. Punch executive chairman Stephen Billingham warned on 15 January that it faced “considerable uncertainty” if its lenders failed to back plans to overhaul the company’s £2.3bn debt pile. Yesterday, Punch issued a statement saying: “The board of Punch Taverns notes the statement today on behalf of certain creditors of Punch A and Punch B. The company continues to be available to discuss with creditors their views of the restructuring proposals.” Although Punch made it clear that it is willing to hold discussions, the current proposals are final.

YO! Sushi marketer to present at the first Propel Multi Club Conference of 2014: My Ly, senior marketing manager at YO! Sushi, voted the UK’s most trusted brand, will look at how to use social media to engage, persuade and reward customers at the first Propel Multi Club Conference of 2014, to be held on Thursday 13 March at the Lancaster London Hotel, Lancaster Gate, central London. Multi site pub, restaurant and foodservice companies can claim up to two free places each. E-mail jo.charity@propelinfo.com to reserve places.

Beer sales rise for the second consecutive quarter – the first time in a decade: Total beer sales were up 0.8% in Quarter Four of 2013 although pub beer sales were down 2.2%. There was a big boost for the off trade, with sales up 3.9%, according to the latest British Beer and Pub Association ‘Beer Barometer’ figures. Overall, British beer sales have increased for two consecutive quarters, the first time in ten years. The increase in sales follows the Chancellor’s cut in Beer Duty in last year’s Budget – and strengthens calls for a duty freeze in the March Budget. BBPA chief executive Brigid Simmonds said: “These figures demonstrate that cutting beer duty helps increase beer sales, stimulates industry investment and saves jobs. We hope the Chancellor takes note and freezes beer duty in his next Budget to give a further boost to British beer and pubs.”

22 Plymouth pubs closed their doors in a single year: Campaigners have expressed concern for the future of Plymouth’s pubs after it was revealed that 22 closed down last year. The Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA) says 22 pubs shut their doors in 2013, 11 of which have been “lost forever”, while three have already closed in the early weeks of 2014. The chairman of CAMRA’s Plymouth branch, Ian Dickinson, said the rise in the number of permanent closures – up from nine in 2011 and ten in 2012 – is due to a combination of economic factors, and he believes there may be more bad news to come.

All-bacon restaurant opens in New York: A restaurant serving only bacon, BarBacon, has opened in New York City’s Hell’s Kitchen area. Among the offerings, are a bacon grilled cheese, a bacon lobster roll and bacon bahn mi. The ‘Bacon Flight’ is a tasting of several different kinds of bacon, varying according to the chef’s latest finds and preferences. And for dessert the porcine theme continues with bacon brownies, cookies and sundaes.

Karen Jones pays tribute to restaurant designer David Collins at Wolseley event: Food & Fuel founder and former Spirit chief executive Karen Jones was among those who paid tribute to the late restaurant designer David Collins at a Wolseley lunch held in his honour. Jones, who also founded Café Rouge, started working with him in 1990 when she owned just three restaurants. Together they went on to create a further 100 venues. Speaking as a client who became a friend, she described him as “a true creative with an inexhaustible range of ideas”. Jeremy King gave the opening eulogy. The Wolseley closed for the private function – the first time it had done so in ten years of opening. 

Google patents technology that links restaurants to taxi travel: Technology giant Google has patented a way of linking online ads to free or discounted taxi rides and an advertising restaurant, shop or entertainment venue. The transport-linked ad service could encourage consumers to respond more often to location-based special offers. Algorithms would work out the customer’s location, the best route and form of transport, Google said. Advertisers will mine huge databases recording people’s habits, likes and preferences so that ads can be highly targeted. Combining this information with location data gleaned from Wi-Fi, cellular and GPS tracking will enable businesses to tailor their ads and special offers according to where people are, the time of day and their schedules.

Ted Tuppen, Luke Johnson and Richard Caring warn against 50p tax rate: Enterprise chief executive Ted Tuppen and sector investors Luke Johnson and Richard Caring ware among the 24 business leader signatories of a letter to The Telegraph warning against Labour’s pledge to raise the top rate of tax to 50p. The signatories warned that Ed Miliband’s policy would threaten economic recovery and cost jobs. Ed Balls, the shadow chancellor, Balls insisted that his party was “pro-business” but claimed the tax rise was needed to close the budget deficit, which is forecast to be £78 billion at the next election. The letter stated that the 50p rate “will have the effect of discouraging business investment in the UK” and is a “backward step” that would quickly lead to job losses.

ALMR welcomes deregulation plan: The Association of Licensed Multiple Retailers (ALMR) has welcomed news that a host of regulations affecting the sector will be repealed but warned that the government needs to go further and faster to reduce the unnecessary regulation and costs inhibiting growth. The draft Deregulation Bill contains provisions to introduce a variety of deregulatory policies, including two key measures campaigned for by the ALMR: the introduction of direct funding for the employers of apprenticeships and a legal provision that regulators must have regard for economic growth when exercising their duties. Kate Nicholls, ALMR strategic affairs director, said: “While any reduction in the cost of doing business is welcome – and these changes will help to realise our ambition of free, fair and flexible markets – further action is needed to ensure that licensed hospitality businesses can concentrate on what they do best: generating jobs and growth for their local communities.”

Living Ventures to open third Botanist in former Living Room site: Living Ventures is opening its third outlet in The Botanist chain at the former Living Room premises in St Werburgh Street, Chester. The company owned The Living Room group until 2007 when it was sold for what co-founder Tim Bacon describes as ‘silly money’ a year before the crash. Last May, the Chester Living Room venue was closed, leaving the premises empty until now. The Living Room brand is currently owned by Stonegate Pub Company, which is converting sites to its Slug & Lettuce and Montana brands. The Botanist chain, which has other outlets in Alderley Edge and Leeds, is owned by the Living Ventures’ subsidiary, New World Trading Company, which was established in 2011.

Jamie Rollo – we expect only 1% like-for-likes from Mitchells & Butlers on Thursday: Morgan Stanley leisure analyst Jamie Rollo has forecast circa 1% like-for-like sales growth when Mitchells & Butlers (M&B) provides a trading update on Thursday (30 January). He said: “We expect minimal like-for-like sales growth for the first 17 weeks of the year given like-for-likes have already been reported as flat for the first eight weeks, the weather has been poor (although not as bad as the snow last year), and so even a good two-week festive season is unlikely to move the dial much. M&B is offering a number of deals across its brands this January, suggesting it may now be focusing on driving volume, and we will look for any signs of a shift in strategy. Encouragingly, Coffer Peach reported better November trading with managed pub like-for-likes +2.4% and December was +3.0%, with Greene King, TRG and Spirit all reporting encouraging festive trading. However, M&B has underperformed the sector for three years now, and we need to see some evidence of a like-for-like sales recovery before we have faith in management’s target of 1.5-2.0% for the full year given the poor start and tougher comps in later quarters.”

Byron takes Clapham Common site: Better burger brand Byron has secured its latest site on The Pavement opposite Clapham Common through agent Davis Coffer Lyons (DCL). The 36-strong group, founded and led by Tom Byng, has taken a new 25-year lease on the 5,800 sq ft over basement, ground and first floors at a rent of £180,000 per annum. Located in the heart of Clapham Old Town, the unit is located directly opposite the exit of Clapham Common Underground with views across the common. Rob Meadows, of DCL said: “Byron are on a real expansion drive in London at the moment and it is no surprise that they wanted to be in this part of Clapham. The unit’s location is exceptional with the impending pedestrianisation and Common facing views. There is a lot going on in Clapham at the moment and we expect more opportunities to come to the very market soon.”

Mezze Restaurants reports health-conscious customers have lifted sales by 30%: Mezze Restaurants, based in the south west, is recording record sales as people kick-start the New Year with a healthy eating regime. The company, which operates six venues, has recorded a 30% growth in sales since the start of January. Mezze managing director Alex Tryfonos said: “Having spoken to a number of customers, they say we are the place to go for health conscious individuals. This is because our menu offers a taste of the Mediterranean, where people live unusually long and healthy lives – with some residents making it to age 100 or older. The Mediterranean diet has also been linked to lower rates of cancer, obesity, Alzheimer’s disease, and most recently – heart disease. We are one of a few places where people can eat healthily and therefore the vast majority of people on a diet choose to visit Mezze, so they can eat out without huge calorific consequences.”

PizzaExpress adds to management team, launches comfort dishes: Gondola Holdings has strengthened the management team at PizzaExpress by recruiting former Whitbread finance director Andy Pellington as the new chief financial officer and former Talk Talk trading director Charlotte Maxwell as its new commercial director. Gondola reported 5.1% like-for-like sales growth in the seven weeks to 5 January. Customer numbers rose by 83,000 over the previous year with set menu sales up 103% year-on-year. Yesterday, PizzaExpress also launched a new range of comfort dishes available until March. They include: dough balls ‘speciale’ (£3.95), PizzaExpress’ dough balls transformed with Gran Moravia cheese added to the dough; The vesuvio (£12.75), a twist on the American Hot in which smoky pepperoni is paired with spicy n’duja sausage atop a sweet potato puree base, baked with mozzarella and finished with fresh rocket, Gran Moravia cheese and chilli oil; and the Cipollini (£11.95) V, a vegetarian pizza with spinach, sweet baby onions, red onions and mozzarella combined, baked with garlic oil and fresh rosemary, all on a creamy sweet potato base and finally topped with chopped parsley, Gran Moravia cheese and chilli oil. There’s also a new rhubarb and apple crumble (£5.55).

Loch Fyne pilots morning story-telling sessions: Fish restaurant chain Loch Fyne is selling books from independent children’s publisher Hogs Back Books. The chain is piloting the scheme at a Guildford branch as part of a new scheme to introduce morning story time sessions in its restaurants. “We are hoping that a regular storytelling event will help to attract customers earlier in the day,” said Jane Tull, regional marketing coordinator at Loch Fyne. “If the scheme proves successful then we’ll roll it out to our branches across the country and possibly invite other local publishers to take part.” Greene King, Loch Fyne’s owner, is offering a 50% discount on collections of four or five Hogs Back books and promoting the books through its customer mail shots. Hogs Back books is a Surrey-based publisher of picture books for children aged up to ten years old.

Nottingham gay nightclub closes: A gay nightclub in Nottingham city centre has closed. The owner of Queen of Clubs, in Heathcoat Street, Hockley, announced it would be now closed for the “foreseeable future”. The club opened in June 2012 and was formerly known as Pink and Jaycee’s. To secure its licence to serve alcohol, the club operated a members-only policy. In the statement made via social media, staff thanked patrons and colleagues for their dedication. It said: “We are proud to have served the Nottingham gay scene and we have had some amazing times together.”

PizzaExpress and Thai Pad lined up for Union Square, Aberdeen: Two new restaurants are set to open in Aberdeen’s biggest shopping centre - both PizzaExpress and Thai Pad are planning to open in Union Square. The pizza chain will open a new restaurant on the shopping mall’s first floor beside the existing Sony shop and opposite the Next clothing store. Thai Pad will also open on the first floor, joining the host of eateries already present at the centre. Councillor Nathan Morrison, who looks after the city centre ward, said: “It’s nice that an independent Thai restaurant is opening up, and it’s good to see that businesses are flocking to Union Square.”

Greene King partners multi-siters to re-open Antelope in Surbiton as ale and cider house: The Antelope in Surbiton will re-open as an ale and cider house on 6 February following a substantial refurbishment, with a new award-winning team at the helm. The Greene King pub is now operated by James Morgan and Richard Craig, the team behind The Sussex Arms in Twickenham, which has been awarded Pub of the Year by the Richmond and Hounslow branch of CAMRA for the last two years in a row. The team is also working on a new in-house six-barrel microbrewery and cider press to launch later this year, taking the pub’s beverage offering to even greater heights. Simon Longbottom, managing director for Greene King Pub Partners, added: “We are excited to be working with the award-winning team of James and Richard in re-launching the Antelope. It will offer a broad range of beers, including Greene King cask ale and exclusive guest ales from local independent brewers, to cater to all tastes and the demands of the most passionate ale enthusiasts.”

Three more restaurants set to open in Yeovil: A hotel complex is set to bring three more restaurants to Yeovil. Work to build the 80-bed Premier Inn began last week. A Beefeater restaurant is also due to open on the former Somerfield and YMCA site Key Market House, Middle Street, with a second ground floor unit still to be filled. An additional 10,000 sq ft area will be let as three separate units and “most likely” become restaurants. Ken Lindsay, development manager with Mayforth, the property asset company dealing with the project, said: “We have had some early interest and we will begin a full marketing campaign in the spring. We wish to see retailers or more likely restaurants which cater for families as the site is ideally situated next to the leisure park.”

McDonald’s plans celebrations to mark UK 40th birthday: McDonald’s is readying a pan-European marketing push to put emphasis on its value menu and premium products, limited-time offers as well as expand its breakfast offering. In the UK, the business is working on several strategies spanning its digital services, in-store additions and celebrations for its 40th anniversary. Jill McDonald, chief executive of McDonald’s UK, said: “We are mindful that whilst the emerging shoots of economic recovery are encouraging, it’s still tough out there for our customers. So as we look ahead, in 2014, we will continue to focus on providing great value and variety, as well as invest in our restaurants, our people and our menu, to ensure our customers enjoy a great experience every time they visit us and continue to appreciate the value we offer. As we continue building on strong and sustained momentum in the UK, we will also be preparing for an exciting landmark year at McDonald’s – in November, we will celebrate our 40th anniversary since opening our first UK restaurant.”

Milltown Brewery Company to co-invest with Punch in first site: Milltown Brewery Company is to close The Dusty Miller in Huddersfield on 2 February for a £120,000 co-investment with owner Punch. Managing director of Milltown Brewery Company Neil Moorhouse, said: “This is the first pub Milltown Brewery Co. have taken on and considering its reputation for its cask ale, we wanted to grow and develop this. We will be looking to add an additional two handpulls and include guest ales from Milltown as well as other regional brewers. The plans look fantastic; we will be offering the community entertainment and a range of cask ales in a welcoming environment. I look forward to seeing the end result.”

Greene King – craft beer market grew to be worth £350m last year: Figures provided by Greene King suggest the craft beer market grew in value by 53% in the UK last year, with sales generated by bars, hotels, shops and supermarkets rising from £250 million to around £350m. Chris Houlton, Greene King’s managing director of brewing and brands, said research signalled that consumers wanted more choice on ale and would welcome new products from Belhaven. He said: “Consumers are talking about it more and more, and therefore customers are talking about it more and more. It is a topic of conversation whether it’s in the on or off-trade, whether it’s a free trade outlet or in a major multiple, where people are trying to understand craft, what makes it different to what’s available at the moment. It’s also a growing market, albeit quite a small one at the moment. Sales have gone up something like 80% in the on-trade over the last year or so.”

Adam Hyman – butcher’s shop and restaurant to open in Hackney: Restaurant consultant Adam Hyman has reported that a butcher’s shop and restaurant will open in Hackney in March. He stated: “Hill & Szrok Master Butcher & Cookshop will sell meat during the day and become a ‘cookshop’ by night, its marble worktop turning into a communal dining table. Luca Mathiszig-Lee, Tom Richardson Hill and Alex Szrok will run the venue, housed in a former slaughterhouse in Broadway Market.”

Papa John’s franchisee plans five sites thanks to incentives: Papa John’s franchisee Steve Mullarkey, who recently opened a Warrington store, has signed up to open five more outlets using the support of the company’s 2014 franchise incentive scheme. Mullarkey, who has a background in catering, will be opening the new outlets across the North West with a store in St Helens planned for launch in the coming months. The chain’s latest franchisee incentive deal, announced last month as its “biggest and best” franchise incentive scheme, applies to new stores in Wales, the Midlands, North East, the North West and Scotland with 12 month royalty breaks available to those that open stores before July 2014, and a nine month royalty break for stores opened before the end of 2014. As part of the scheme, new franchisees will also have access to free oven and refrigerator equipment, royalty holiday and £10,000 worth of marketing spend. Mullarkey said: “My research showed that Papa John’s was very simply better than the competition. Papa John’s is an exciting company and committed to growth. The head office staff’s enthusiasm for the future is impressive, they really believe this company is going places and I have to agree. I aim to open between ten to 15 Papa John’s over the next five years.”

YO! Sushi voted the UK’s most trusted restaurant brand: YO! Sushi has been voted the UK’s most trusted restaurant brand following a report from the Human Era Index. Other brands topping their categories included Emirates Airways, John Lewis and Disney. Leading the restaurant category with a score of 8.4 out of a total of ten, Paul Priestman, director at Priestman Goode and President of DBA said: “For me, the YO! brand is about breaking down boundaries, it’s incredibly democratic and is accessible to everyone. The brand makes an effort to strike a relationship with its customers, using tools such as Twitter to make the dialogue conversational, playful and friendly.” The six characteristics exhibited by the most trusted brands included customer empathy, behaving like real people, being open and real to the point of being flawed, not being boring, caring about the little things and empowering individuals “to be the brand”. Lippincott noted that “a low-touch offering can also be a human one if the brand makes an effort to strike a relationship with its customers”.

Wildwood submits plan to open in Chichester: Wildwood has submitted a planning application to open in Chichester, which saw a Wagamama open earlier this month. The brand has submitted a planning application for 51a South Street. Last year, a planning inspector upheld Wagamama’s appeal to a district council planning consent refusal, saying the unit had been marketed as a retail unit and received no offers so it was better for it to be opened as a restaurant than left standing empty. Wagamama was initially refused consent as it meant there was 15m of ‘non-retail frontage’ in South Street, because of its location next to PizzaExpress. This is not an issue for Wildwood’s application, as it does not have a restaurant on either side. As well as the Wildwood bid, an unknown ‘high-end cafe’ has also put in an application to open at 33 South Street.

Giggling Squid confirms Marlow opening date: Giggling Squid, the fast growing restaurant chain which introduced the ‘Thai Tapas’ concept to Britain, has confirmed it will open in Marlow in Buckinghamshire on Monday 10th February. The 90-seater, two-floor restaurant will open on the former Pachangas Mexican restaurant site in West Street. Marlow is Giggling Squid’s eighth location – and is set to be followed by openings in Horsham and Maidstone. The group is also in advanced negotiations on a further six of prime sites – on its quest to become the first national Thai chain in the UK, with a portfolio of 80-strong properties inside seven years.

Three Michelin-starred Spanish chef plans London opening: Spanish chef David Muñoz, who holds three Michelin stars, is to open a new restaurant in London’s Mayfair. The new opening, named StreetXo, will be Muñoz’s first outside of his home country, where he runs three-Michelin-starred DiverXo, and StreetXo, both in Madrid. It will located on Mayfair’s Burlington Street, although details of a precise location have not yet been released. Muñoz trained in several London restaurants before returning to Madrid. His new London opening aims to be a “unique representation of street food”, inspired by his travels from London to South East Asia and everywhere in between. StreetXo, which is set to open in June 2014, will be open for service for 14 hours each day.

Jamie Oliver - Ministry of Food in Rotherham will re-open in the summer: Chef Jamie Oliver has insisted that his flagship Ministry of Food in Rotherham, closed since last June, will re-open in the summer. The chef has been accused of “turning his back” on the project which was set up in 2008 but which closed after a health and safety inspection – he has not visited since the venture was opened. A spokesman for Jamie Oliver said: “Far from turning his back on the Ministry of Food Rotherham, Jamie and the team have been working hard, alongside Rotherham Borough Council, to ensure that the Ministry can reopen as soon as possible. Necessary refurbishment of the building is ongoing, new equipment is on order and the plan is to reopen an improved Ministry of Food Centre in the early summer. On the question of Jamie not visiting, his diary is booked many months in advance owing to the global nature of his campaigning and commercial ventures.” The centre – backed by the local council and local NHS – offered a packed schedule of free cookery classes when it opened and Oliver chose Lisa Taylor to be its healthy eating ambassador. But Taylor claims that as soon as filming was finished, the chef left her with the keys and never contacted the centre again – and didn’t even bother to return her phone calls, even after it closed last June.